The present invention relates to a recording system including recording apparatuses, for example, such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) recorder and a hard disk and a recording method and a recording apparatus which are used in the system.
There is a growing use of recording apparatuses having a complex of a DVD recorder and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), for example, and even network connection terminals such as Ethernet (registered trademark) terminals in place of video tape recorders. Many of these recording apparatuses are designed to allow easy program recording reservations through a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that enables sorting on the base of a broadcasting channel or program genre while displaying electronic program information such as via an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) on the display screen of a television set (monitor receiver).
However, most recording apparatuses have only one TV (television) tuner mounted. Although these recording apparatuses allow making easy program recording reservations, it can be considerably problematic where a user wants to record a program televised on different channels at the same time of the day. If two programs that the user wants to record are televised at the same time of the day as described above, the user would have to give up recording one of the two programs.
However, there will be cases where programs are already recorded through the EPG, for example, where programs recording reservations made in the past, for example yesterday or the day before yesterday, and a program recording reservation made now are for the same time of the day. In these cases, it can be difficult for the user to correctly understand and remember the existence of any two program recording reservations by date, time of the day, channel or program name. Deciding which of two programs having reservations should be prioritized would require many steps, thus preventing the available convenient EPG from being fully used.
Considering the above-mentioned situation, Japanese Patent Application 2004-023326, described later, proposes technologies in which a recording apparatus (system) includes a plurality of personal computers connected to an IP (Internet protocol) network and are provided with a tuner function, each of which, as a server apparatus, manages the existence of a tuner function, operating conditions, and program recording reservations for individual personal computers connected to the same network.
In this case, the function of the server apparatus then operates as described below if there are two TV program recording processings on a personal computer connected to a relevant network or there is an insufficient empty capacity in a hard disk for recording the TV program. Namely, the function of the server apparatus asks an available other computer connected to the same network to record an intended TV program to prevent the recording of what is called a counter program and the suspension of program recording due to an insufficient storage capacity.
For the recording apparatus described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application 2004-023326, however, a plurality of personal computers would need to be connected to the same network. A server apparatus for managing individual personal computers would also invariably need to be provided, thus resulting in an uneconomical, large-sized recording apparatus.
However, DVD players and disk players will become more and more popular from now on. There is therefore a need for the realization of a system that will allow more flexible TV program recordings, such as allowing easily and inexpensively simultaneous recording of different TV programs broadcast through different TV channels at same time of the day using DVD players and hard disk recorders instead of multi-functional and high-performance information processing apparatuses such as personal computers.
In addition, oftentimes two or more recording units are connected to record TV programs. However, it would be desirable to be able to easily and correctly manage which recording unit is used and which TV program is recorded. As with the technologies described in the above-mentioned patent literature, recording units used and TV programs recorded could be managed in detail by providing a server apparatus for management use. It is desirable, however, to be able to simply and accurately mange recording histories without providing such a server apparatus for exclusive management use.
Considering the situation mentioned above, it is desirable to provide a system, method, and apparatus for allowing more flexible TV program recording and easy and accurate program recording management by connecting a plurality of recordings apparatuses, each of which is often used as a single unit, to a network.